Missing Nevaeh Buchanan Possibly Found Encased in Cement

The body of a child found in a block of cement near a river in Michigan lead authorities to believe that it is the remains of missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, the little girl who went missing from in front of her apartment home nearly two weeks ago. Fox News reported Friday that officials say that an autopsy is being performed on a recovered body that matches the general description of the missing child.

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield told reporters Friday: "The body appears to be of the same age, size and sex of Nevaeh Buchanan. We have reasonable suspicion that this is the body of Nevaeh."

The remains were found by a father and son who were fishing, nearly seven miles from where Nevaeh Buchanan lived with her mother, Jennifer. Crutchfield said that the remains looked to have been at the location "for some time" but gave no specific information as to how long the body may have been there or what condition the remains were in when found. He did say that it was a "sick or disturbed person" for whom the police were searching.

The Detroit Free Press reported that the body was found in a shallow grave on the edge of the River Raisin. The body was encased in what seemed to be fast-drying cement.

Guy Bickley, 51, and Ryan Bickley, 15, were fishing along the river when the father noticed a cement block that was producing an odor that smelled of decomposition. The father approached, chipped a piece of cement away, and saw what looked like human skin. He immediately notified police.

Although there have been several people arrested during the investigation of missing Nevaeh Buchanan, there have been no arrests in connection to the missing case. George Kennedy, a friend of Jennifer Buchanan's and a convicted sex offender, was arrested on suspicion of violating his parole restrictions (proximity to children). Another sex offender, Roy Lee Smith, was arrested and is being investigated as well. Smith also is a friend of Nevaeh's mother.

Another man who lives in the neighborhood, James Easter, was arrested for suspicion of arson but was later released. His explanation that he was simply burning cardboard behind his home in the middle of the night after being questioned by the police could not be refuted.

Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother, said she would not believe the remains were her granddaughter's until the medical examiner confirmed a DNA match. Michael Buchanan, Nevaeh's uncle said that his sister, Jennifer, "broke down hard" when she heard the news of the finding.

Although there is still hope that the remains are not those of Nevaeh, a shirt resembling the one Nevaeh was last seen in was also found, according to Sheriff Crutchfield.

But if the remains are not confirmed as those of Nevaeh Buchanan, then law enforcement officials have a much larger problem. Who then might be this encased missing child? And Nevaeh Buchanan would still be missing, the reason for her disappearance unsolved. If this is another missing child, could the two be related? Could there be more than just one or two individuals involved? Were authorities looking at a pedophile ring or an isolated incident (or incidents, if the remains are found to be those of another child)?

The medical examiner's report will answer many questions. In cases such as this, good news for the Buchanan family would be bad news for another family of a missing child. Still, that good news for the Buchanans would be qualified by the unfortunate fact that Nevaeh would still be missing...

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Sources:

Detroit Free Press

FoxNerws.com

Associated Press